Anti-rattler for thill-couplings



(No Model.

3,3. s E'P NsoNL 'ANTLRATT'LBR FOR THILL COUPLINGS. No. 4 4,220.

Patented Dec. .1', 1 891;

INVENTOR WITN ESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTG ELHER E. STEPHENSON,

OF IVA BASH, INDIANA.

ANTl-RATTLER FOR THlLL-COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,220, dated December 1, 1891.

Application filed August 28, 1391. Serial No. 403,930. (No model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMER E. STEPHENSON, a resident of Wabash, in the county of WVabash and State ofIndiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Anti- Rattling Devices for Thill-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to attachments such as shown in the patent granted June 29, 1886, to W. E. Murbarger, No. 344,786, designed to prevent the rattling of (hill-couplings, and has for its object to provide a device of simple form capable of being cheaply made, which shall also be easy of application and efficient in operation; and it consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a side elevation of the improved device applied to a thill-coupling. Fig. 2is a perspective, and Fig. 3 is a perspective of a modification.

The device is made of metal such as sheetsteel, and approximately V-shaped, substan- V tially as indicated in the drawings.

Numeral 1 denotes a head provided with laterally-extended cheeks 2, adapted to rest upon the jack-clip and to sustain the device therein. Between the lateral extensions or cheeks 2 the head is cut away to form a recess 2 to receive the thill-iron when the thill is raised toward a vertical position.

3 indicates a straight plane portion of the back part 4 of the device of suitable length and form to fit closely against the clip.

5 denotes a shoulder or bend in the part 4., whereby itis fitted to pass around the yoke 6 of the clip and to rest upon the upper side of said yoke without throwing the part 3 away from the clip.

It is important that the clip snugly fits both the front face of the clip and the upper and front side of the clip-yoke and within the angle made thereby, to obviate rattling at this point and to suitably support in a vertical plane the rear member 3 of the device. The cheeks 2 are extended both forwardly and laterally, whereby they reach over and bear upon the ears 13 of the clip at points in front of the vertical portion and at about their mid-length,whereby they have more frictionand a spring-like action and more efficiently resist the tendency of thepart 3 to rattle. These checks are more durable as well as more efficient than simple lateral projections of part 3 in the same plane, such as instanced in patent to McNutfiNo. 443,715, December 30, 1890, which projections would not so well resist the vibrations of the part 3 and are more liable to be broken. In my construction. which provides, as above'stated, for cheeks 2 bearing at or near the center of the ears 13, it is important that a space such as 2' be provided betweenthem to receive the eye of the thill when the latter is raised to a vertical position.

Below shoulder 5 the part 4. is curved in a forward direction until it terminates in the sharp bend 6. Above 6 the front part 7 of the device is provided with a shoulder 8, and the part 9 between the shoulder and the bend 6 is curved in a direction reverse to the curvature of the opposite part 4.. The shoulder S, when the device is in position, is adapted to engage the thill-iron and prevents the device from working up or being thrown out upwardly. The part 10 is curved forward to fit the thill-iron and co-operates with the checks 2 to hold the device from dropping down or from being pushed down.

In Fig. 3 the device is represented as made of wire. 2 indicates lateral extensions adapted to rest upon the clip, and 2' indicates a space betweenthem, in which the thill-iron may move when the thills are raised toward the vertical position. Shoulders are indicated by 5 and 8, and 10 denotes a curved portion adapted to fit the chill-iron, all as in the form first described. 11 denotes a coil. .to increase the amount of the elasticity of the wire, though it could be omitted withoutrendering the device inoperative. 1

As above stated,it isimportant that the device shall closely fit the front face of the clip by its straight part 3 and also fit the yoke on its upper and front side by the curved or bent shoulder 5. By this construction the usual rattling of the so-called anti-rattlers against the clip or clip-yoke. itself is prevented, while the latter is made to support the device, not only under ordinary circumstances, but particularly when the thills are being coupled to the clips.

duced between the ears 13 of the clip and rest ing in the curve of the part 10 of the device, can be pressed back and downwardly against it, as required, without danger of crowding it out of place,-it being firmly supported by the bearing of the shoulder upon the clip-yoke.

My improvement provides very efficient means for holding the anti-rattler in place both when inserting the thill-irons and when in use. It obviates the necessity of compressing the device by driving it into place after the thills have been attached, whereby the elasticity of anti-rattlers is sometimes i11- jured, and it thoroughly guards against the rattling of the anti-rattler, particularly atthe points 5 and 8.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 2o Viatin g the rattling of thill-cou plin gs, made of a single piece of metal having the forwardlybent lateral extensions 2 adapted to bear upon the ears of the clip at aboutjheir mid-length and having a recess 2 between said lateral extensions and provided with the straight part 3 and the shoulder 5, adapted, respectively, to [it the front of the clip and the upper part and front of its yoke and provided with an abrupt bend, whereby it fits the angle between said clip and yoke, and provided, also, with the shoulder 8 and curved part 10, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLWIER E. STEPHENSON.

Witnesses:

OLIVER H. BOGUE, CHARLES H. BAKER. 

